A lollipop

Meng Huai and Yun Zimo arrived at the largest shantytown in Dian City. The people living here were genuinely poor, but the place was clean, nothing like the filthy, chaotic slum described in the reports.

Seeing Yun Zimo's surprise, Meng Huai smiled faintly and said, "In China, reports are the last thing you should trust. Those so-called celebrity reporters probably never even came here.

"As for their supposed conscience and professional ethics, those ceased to exist the moment they became celebrity reporters. Their bottom line is that they can't be human."

Yun Zimo said in surprise, "You seem to know a lot about this. Isn't every profession supposed to be a world apart?"

Meng Huai smiled casually and said, "Think about what I do. I've seen plenty. Your kindness limits your imagination. The darkness in this world is far more wicked than you can imagine.

"Whatever can be exposed to sunlight is never true darkness. Real darkness is hidden behind layer upon layer of fog, where no sunlight can penetrate.

"Only people like us, who walk in the darkness, know how terrifying it is in there. Our job is to keep its tendrils from reaching out beyond the fog."

Yun Zimo stared at Meng Huai in disbelief. She had never expected her husband to say something so profound and philosophical. He was so impressive, so utterly captivating.

Meng Huai smiled smugly. Earning his woman's admiration was a man's proudest achievement.

They walked as they talked, eventually reaching a low, dilapidated house. They went up and knocked, and the door creaked open.

Meng Huai led the way into the courtyard, which was piled with garbage that gave off waves of foul stench.

Yun Zimo waved a hand in front of her nose and frowned. "It's so clean outside. How can it be like this in here? This is outrageous. Looks like what you said earlier wasn't right either."

Meng Huai shook his head. "The owner did this deliberately. The stench is overwhelming in here, but did you smell it at the gate?"

Yun Zimo looked surprised. "Now that you mention it, I really didn't smell anything at the gate. What's going on?"

Meng Huai said sternly, "Think about it. What would garbage this foul be best for raising?"

Yun Zimo said in confusion, "What could you raise in stinking garbage? Just rats, flies, cockroaches..."

Her eyes went round, and she ducked behind Meng Huai, staring fixedly at the garbage. Sure enough, she saw plenty of cockroaches crawling through it.

Meng Huai sighed. "Looks like we've found the right place. He really is avenging his daughter. The best hiding place is in plain sight!"

Then he called out, "We've been here for quite a while. Isn't it rather rude of our host not to come out and meet us?"

The inner door opened, and a man with unkempt stubble walked out. He looked completely different from the photograph. Only a faint resemblance in his eyes confirmed that he was the same person.

Zheng Lin looked at Meng Huai and said, "As expected of a Gu Master. You certainly have a keen nose, finding this place so quickly."

Keeping his guard up, Meng Huai said, "I know you've been wronged, but using gu to harm people is something heaven will never tolerate."

Zheng Lin roared with laughter. "You're talking to me about heavenly justice? What justice is there under this blind heaven?"

Meng Huai blinked. "Then let's leave heaven out of it. A killer must pay with their life. Before you do something irreversible, hand over your life-bound gu, and I'll spare you."

Zheng Lin sneered. "Who told you killers have to pay with their lives? My daughter was killed. Who are you going to make pay for her life? She was a good, sensible girl from childhood. She knew her mother had run off, and the two of us had only each other. She never cried or made a fuss.

"She worked so hard at school, hoping education would change her fate. And what did she get in return? That animal violated her, and that animal is still out there living without a care.

"You tell me this is heavenly justice. You tell me killers must pay with their lives. What else do you want to tell me? That poor people deserve to be trampled underfoot?

"That evil people should rule this world, that good people should never be rewarded, and that the rich can trample us whenever they like, as though we're mud? Tell me!"

Meng Huai was left speechless by his accusations. He had no idea what to say. Facts spoke louder than words, and no amount of eloquence meant anything in the face of them.

Yun Zimo poked her head out and said, "You can't condemn all rich people alike. Plenty of them do charity work now. Take my Foundation, for example. We've always been helping children who can't afford to go to school.

"I admit there are plenty of bad people, but they'll pay the price. They won't escape punishment. In the end, they'll have to repent in prison."

Zheng Lin sneered. "Do you believe any of what you're telling me? We're poor. We can't afford those high-priced lawyers. We can't find loopholes. All we can do is let people bully us.

"Do you know what that lawyer asked my daughter during the trial? He asked whether she felt pleasure while she was being violated.

"Do you know what the outcome was? That bastard had given my daughter a lollipop, so she was willing. She'd sold herself for a lollipop.

"What else do you expect me to believe? I don't believe in anything anymore. Now I trust only myself. I'm going to avenge my daughter. I'm going to make everyone pay."

Yun Zimo licked her lips and said, "There's a huge public outcry over this case right now, and it isn't closed yet. If you appeal, you'll get justice. Why won't you?"

Her words lacked conviction, because she had no confidence at all in this so-called justice. Perhaps justice would eventually arrive late, but how many years late depended on its mood.

Perhaps decades would pass, and Wang Taiying would die of old age before justice ever arrived, because justice was too busy figuring out how to lie there and sleep.

Meng Huai sighed. "I admit you have a point. That's why I didn't come here to fight you today. I came to lay down some ground rules.

"You can take revenge, but you can only kill Wang Taiying. You can't drag innocent people into it. As for Liu Shourui, you can punish him, but you can't take his life.

"If you agree, I'll let you take your revenge. If you refuse and dare to slaughter innocent people, that will surely feed your inner demons, so I can't let you live."

Zheng Lin's face was covered in a sinister smile. "You really are clever. Since you've put it that way, I agree. See yourselves out!"

Meng Huai watched Zheng Lin warily as he shielded Yun Zimo and backed out of the courtyard. He silently breathed a sigh of relief. If they had truly fought in there, the outcome would have been far from certain.

They returned to the car, and Yun Zimo said, "Are we really going to do it this way? What if he goes back on his word?"

Meng Huai's expression darkened. "Someone who can use a lollipop to declare Wang Taiying innocent—don't you think they deserve to die?"

Yun Zimo fell silent. People had a bottom line, and anyone who crossed it deserved to die.